TransMonk

If nothing else, I miss Wright.

Well, I think it depends as much on the pitcher. I'm thinking more specifically on a guy like Pelfrey, who I think will mostly pitch to Paulino for the remainder of the year. I'm guessing in that situation, it's a question of confidence...which Paulino seems to help him with. Maybe Thole didn't get enough of a chance...but maybe Thole lacks a little confidence of his own. For Niese and Dickey, it doesn't seem to matter much who they throw to.

I think he meant being more secure in keeping Reyes...but you are right.

I'm not totally sold on Thole yet. His hitting and defense are one thing, but the fact that some of our pitchers have better stats when Paulino is catching is equally alarming to me. edited: all to some

What a crock. I'm sure this will somehow get spun into "mistrial = innocent".

The four day break is a killer. Blech.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Better guess could be Mat Gamel, I think. Only... he's the Prince Fielder insurance, I think. Very much this. I don't think he is going anywhere and will be the opening day starter at 1B for Milwaukee in 2012.

I'm pretty confident both Wright and Reyes will return on their current announced schedules. I'm not hoping for anything from Ike and Johan other than that they'll be 100% for 2012.

Have Boras or K-Rod actually bitched about any of this? Joe Petruccio's take:

soupcan wrote: The biggest thing to me is that with Frankie gone and Beltran coming off the books, there is plenty o' do-re-mi to sign a really good shortstop. No excuses now. I can still find excuses for that seventh year that we are going to have to offer. But, I guess we can cross 2018 when we come to it.

TiTTs = Trade in Tomorrow Today Society Wanting to trade tomorrows stars for stars today because, damn it, we're a big market team and prospects take to damn long. The premise is basically that the possible production of future stars is outweighed by the actual production of current stars. http://archives.cranepoolforum.net/3400/f1_t3455.shtml

That's just incredible. Starving babies, be damned.

Ceetar wrote: The almost certain probability that this ultimately makes the Mets better in the long run is not exciting. I find it very exciting. I like seeing the Mets get better.

Centerfield wrote: I can't believe there is any discord on this move. Moving K-Rod is a no-brainer. We should all be happy about this. It makes us marginally worse this year, but it makes us much, much better next year. For what it's worth, I can see where ceetar is coming from. Every once in a while, I catch myself thinking "Wow, they win this series, then get Reyes, Wright, Davis and Santana back, maybe we go on a run and Beltran gets that ring as a Met that he deserves..." But then I catch myself, and realize this is silly. Sandy Alderson was brought here to be smart. And this is a smart move. Moving Beltran will also be a smart move, but it's one I will have a hard time with. Beltran is a terrific player and one of my favorite Mets of all time. I'll be very sorry to see him go, even if it's best for the team. This. Very much, this.

soupcan wrote: A faulty wine fridge is certainly not energy efficient and therefore your point is moot. Buying it would not be a good financial decision.

sharpie wrote: K-Rod to the Brewers, Izzy to the Cards, Beltran to the Pirates: who do we send to the Reds so that we can have a ringer for all contenders in the NL Central? Big Pelf?

Is does create a potential problem...Axford starts to suck the calls for K-Rod to close get loud and bang you're on the hook. Did Boras spur K-Rod trade? Phoenix - The timing of the Mets' trade of Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez to the Brewers on the night of the All-Star Game might have been more than coincidence. New York baseball writers just pointed out to me that Scott Boras, who just took over as Rodriguez's agent, made all kinds of noise here Monday about the Mets possibly dealing their closer. Boras disputed the notion that the team would trade Rodriguez to be a setup man elsewhere to avoid his $17.5 million option for 2012 vesting. K-Rod has finished 34 games and if he gets to 55, that big option vests. Otherwise, there is a $3.5 million buyout. And I can guarantee you the Brewers have no intention of picking up a $17. 5 million option for a pitcher who isn't what he used to be. Here are some quotes by Boras that ran in Newsday: "Francisco Rodriguez is a historic closer. He's not going anywhere to be a setup man. "Closers don't make good setup men. Does anyone want an unhappy setup man in their clubhouse?" Well, that's exactly what the Brewers might be bringing to their clubhouse, which is pretty tight-knit, by the way. I specifically asked GM Doug Melvin about a possible closer controversy and he turned aside that possibility. He also wouldn't say if Rodriguez or incumben John Axford would be the closer, for obvious reasons. If Melvin designated Rodriguez as the setup man right away, the pitcher and his agent would be outraged. Yet, there's no way the Brewers will let K-Rod finish 21 more games. I can guarantee you that. So let's see how they avoid that controversy and possible huge distraction as they try to make the playoffs. Obviously, K-Rod did not have the Brewers on his 10-team no-trade list. He probably figured they couldn't afford him after he signed a three-year, $37-million deal in December 2009, so why put them on the list? Unable to block a trade to Milwaukee, he had no option but to accept it. There certainly seems to be some potential for this to get messy, doesn't it? That's why it's a calculated gamble on the part of Melvin, who obviously wasn't comfortable with what he saw going on in front of Axford in recent weeks. Boras also represents Prince Fielder, the newly crowned All-Star Game MVP. It has been generally assumed that Fielder will leave via free agency after the season. Maybe the Brewers could promise Boras that K-Rod will close if Fielder signs for a hometown discount? I wouldn't hold my breath on that one, folks

Brian Wilson likes Beltran to Giants ESPN New York wrote: PHOENIX -- San Francisco Giants closer Brian Wilson hears his club may be interested in New York Mets right fielder Carlos Beltran. Wilson is all for it. "He's a pretty awesome hitter," Wilson said after notching the save as the National League beat the American League, 5-1, on Tuesday night at Chase Field. "I have no qualms about it. Come on over. I don't want to be the guy that's traded, though. OK? Let's make sure that doesn't happen." Beltran, along with Mets teammate Jose Reyes, had accompanied the Giants contingent from San Francisco to Arizona after the teams completed the first half with a series. Wilson had made similar comments while reading the NL lineup on Fox, introducing Beltran as a player the Giants need to acquire. "I didn't see that. I didn't hear that, either," Beltran said. "I mean, I know there's been a lot of rumors -- different cities. They always say I might end up in this city, in that city. But right now I'm part of the New York Mets, and we're playing good baseball." The Mets enter the second half one game over .500. They trail the division-leading Philadelphia Phillies by 11 games and the wild card-leading Braves by 7� games. Where will Beltran be in a month? "Where? I hope so in New York," Beltran replied. "I hope we continue to play good baseball. But, at the same time, if the team starts not playing good baseball, something might happen -- not only with me, but with a few of the other guys, like Francisco [Rodriguez]. They have mentioned Jose Reyes. But right now we cannot worry about that. We need to continue to play the game hard and focus on trying to win ballgames." Later Tuesday, Rodriguez was traded with cash to Milwaukee for two players to be named.

Like I said...better their problem than ours. Brewer fans are aware of the option and it's financial impact. I don't think they'll be cheering to bring on that salary...especially since they would probably rather devote that sort of money towards an offer to their FA firstbaseman.

It remains to be seen...but I don't think they want his option to vest any more than we did. Most likely, he'll set up John Axford.

This was a good move. I would have accepted Prince Fielder's game-used jock strap back in trade to be guaranteed earlier rather than later that there was no chance we would be paying a reliever $17.5M next season.

At least this is the Brewers' bomb to defuse now.

I never disliked Frankie. I was disappointed after the brawl, but didn't dislike the guy. Personally, I actually found more things to like about him than Wagner. And he was rarely anything but money on the field. That being said...his contract was horrible. Clearly a reaction signing and we all knew it at the time. Agreeing to a year where any reliever can make $17.5M is almost criminal. I'm glad he's gone for financial reasons.